Athletics World Champs

[GB72]

Honest question, does athletics pull in the crowds anyway. Could be wrong but always got the feeling that the Olympics gave it an over inflated idea of how many people actually want to watch it, especially without a massive global name for people to see like Bolt was.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Honest question, does athletics pull in the crowds anyway. Could be wrong but always got the feeling that the Olympics gave it an over inflated idea of how many people actually want to watch it, especially without a massive global name for people to see like Bolt was.

London 2017 it appears broke records

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1AD1QQ

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....ws/event-impact-2017-iaaf-world-championships

Compared to Doha -

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....blame-TV-schedules-poor-attendances-Doha.html

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....oha-world-athletics-championships-crowds-iaaf

 

[clubchamp98]

Russia have an anti doping system?

Yes they have an Aunty who gives you your drugs.

 

[GB72]

London 2017 it appears broke records

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1AD1QQ

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....ws/event-impact-2017-iaaf-world-championships

Compared to Doha -

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....blame-TV-schedules-poor-attendances-Doha.html

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....oha-world-athletics-championships-crowds-iaaf

But that is only 2 examples. Certainly ore 2012 when athletics was at places like Gateshead and Crystal Palace I seem to remember plenty of empty seats. Again, no figures to back any of this up just a blury memory of the past but globally, does it really attract big crowds.

 

[clubchamp98]

Athletics and marathons etc can’t be popular in a country that has heat and humidity like this.
The fact they have had to air con the stadium is a clue.
All about money!

 

[larmen]

i Used to be a big athletics fan, but I only know who won the 100 because it had a big headline, not a single other result.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Would be interested to see the crowds at the Diamond League meets as that seems to almost be athletic version of T20 and get as many races and events in on one night. Pretty sure a lot of the stuff I've seen on TV outside the olympics at home and away (European Champs) are still blighted by empty seats. To be honest aside from the middle distance and blue riband sprint events it's still a very niche sport and so I can understand why it would struggle to attract people to pay and watch

 

[clubchamp98]

Would be interested to see the crowds at the Diamond League meets as that seems to almost be athletic version of T20 and get as many races and events in on one night. Pretty sure a lot of the stuff I've seen on TV outside the olympics at home and away (European Champs) are still blighted by empty seats. To be honest aside from the middle distance and blue riband sprint events it's still a very niche sport and so I can understand why it would struggle to attract people to pay and watch

Spot on that’s why it’s on terrestrial Tv it’s cheap to screen.
Not many will pay to watch.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Spot on that’s why it’s on terrestrial Tv it’s cheap to screen.
Not many will pay to watch.

Yet over a million watched it when it went to London in 2017 , sold out Diamond League meetings at the Olympic Stadium before and at various other events including the national champs etc

The sport is very well supported all over the world - except in the Middle East , they only want it to showcase that they can show events but it’s showing up that their public aren’t interested it , it’s not glamorous enough for them - at one stage they were even willing to pay Bolt a lot of money just to run a relay. It’s poor for the athletes because any other country they would be racing in front of good crowds.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Yet over a million watched it when it went to London in 2017 , sold out Diamond League meetings at the Olympic Stadium before and at various other events including the national champs etc

The sport is very well supported all over the world - except in the Middle East , they only want it to showcase that they can show events but it’s showing up that their public aren’t interested it , it’s not glamorous enough for them - at one stage they were even willing to pay Bolt a lot of money just to run a relay. It’s poor for the athletes because any other country they would be racing in front of good crowds.

Without wishing to be argumentative I doubt for one minute the national championships held in a decent sized stadium would be totally sold out. Same with the European champs. They didn't sell that out in Glasgow in MArch and empty seats clear on both bends and back straight for some events. I agree the diamond league are well supported because as I say they are a T20 version with top money paid to get the best to attend and then crammed into one night. I disagree outside of Olympics it is well supported all over the world

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I suspect if you asked most people to name 3 current GB track and field athletes, deliberately did that to exclude Mo, then I doubt most could do it. If you expand that to 3 world track and field athletes I'm not sure the success rate would be much better. (do a popmaster style 3 in 10 to yourself to see if you can manage it. I managed 1, as someone with no great interest in athletics but a general interest in sport. I should know more if athletics as a sport is strong)

You would have to be a hard core athletics fan to know any big names in athletics right now. There is a post Bolt lull.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I suspect if you asked most people to name 3 current GB track and field athletes, deliberately did that to exclude Mo, then I doubt most could do it. If you expand that to 3 world track and field athletes I'm not sure the success rate would be much better. (do a popmaster style 3 in 10 to yourself to see if you can manage it. I managed 1, as someone with no great interest in athletics but a general interest in sport. I should know more if athletics as a sport is strong)

You would have to be a hard core athletics fan to know any big names in athletics right now. There is a post Bolt lull.

Asher Smith , Muir , Phillips , Gemilli , Hughes , Bradshaw and McColghan all athletes who have made their mark in

And outside the UK - Coleman , Fraser Pryce , Semenya ,

 

[Beezerk]

Asher Smith , Muir , Phillips , Gemilli , Hughes , Bradshaw and McColghan all athletes who have made their mark in

And outside the UK - Coleman , Fraser Pryce , Semenya ,

Well done here's a medal 🥉

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Asher Smith , Muir , Phillips , Gemilli , Hughes , Bradshaw and McColghan all athletes who have made their mark in

And outside the UK - Coleman , Fraser Pryce , Semenya ,

Proving that someone interested in athletics can name some athletes. My point was that people with only a passing interest or no interest currently would struggle to do the same

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Proving that someone interested in athletics can name some athletes. My point was that people with only a passing interest or no interest currently would struggle to do the same

If you watch Pointless, whenever there is a sport question it's the same for all sports. You still get people who think Beckham is playing now. Or, Rooney is the only player they know.

 

[IanM]

Didn't even realise it was on! Won't watch now I know............... but I went to the London Olympics! Cos it was here! There's the thing, in the UK folk go and watch sport.

Athletics suffers from you not knowing who is clean and who isn't. Cheats get allowed back too. Shame.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

If you watch Pointless, whenever there is a sport question it's the same for all sports. You still get people who think Beckham is playing now. Or, Rooney is the only player they know.

I appreciate this could go downhill but my point is, as others have pointed out, that at the moment athletics is not high on the list of sports that people notice. There are no stars that are breaking across the boundary into world stardom and raising the profile of the sport. There are no stars that are making enough people turn on the coverage. They did when Bolt was around for example, in the UK people knew Farrah and Ennis in recent times. Asher Smith is the one I would know but no others.

I take your point about Pointless but come on, have you seen some of the people on there . You get a real mix, some very intelligent, many in the middle and then the 'ummmm I don't know, I am going to have to guess a capital in Europe. Errrmmmmmm Paris'

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Proving that someone interested in athletics can name some athletes. My point was that people with only a passing interest or no interest currently would struggle to do the same

I have just a passing interest in the sport same with some other sports , I just read the news or listen to it or QoS - those names are out there in the sports news but I guess you could ask the same to people about most sports these days , doesn’t mean they aren’t popular or people don’t watch it. The World Athletics is still a global event - normally when it’s hosted the crowds are there even before Bolt , the event right now in Doha is a major flop in regards the people watching in the stands

Well done here's a medal 🥉

Excellent input - up there with your normal standard of adding zero to the thread 🙄

 

[Beezerk]

Excellent input - up there with your normal standard of adding zero to the thread 🙄

Yeah, not like me to post persistent drivel and start arguments on about every thread I post on 🤔🤣

 

[Beezerk]

Ooh a deleted post 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣